Monday, 11 April 2011

Rock on down to Boux Avenue

Last Friday I was invited down to attend the opening of Boux Avenue at Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock.

Over the previous week Theo Paphitis had been travelling around the country opening his new lingerie stores to huge crowds and this store was the last one to be opened. (Leaving the best to last perhaps)

To rapturous applause Theo announced his store open and the people of Lakeside got their first glimpse of their newest lingerie store.

The store has a beautiful Art Deco feel about it and in some parts of the store it feels as though you are in a Hollywood starlets walk-wardrobe.

Luxurious fabrics, soft carpets and clean lines that make you feel as if you want to spoil yourself without spending too much money.

Because that is the great thing about Boux Avenue. You walk in and feel as if you are in a designer lingerie store but without the designer prices. I found prices to be well within what I would pay out for lingerie not only in their day to day range but for something a little special too.

The staff all looked fantastic too, they were a range of ages, sizes, all dressed in a beautiful classic dress but with their own individual twist.

Ladies at the till.

Staff member in the dressing room

Any member of staff who cares enough to wear Irregular Choice heels to work can sell me Lingerie ANY DAY. I had to take a picture of her footwear. I was seriously impressed.

The dressing rooms are designed to make you feel comfortable in your selections. Where else have you been that has three different settings of lighting that you can set to see how you would look outside of a changing room? (I may have to set my whole house to this type of lighting style)

You have a choice of Day, Night and Dusk. as well as a direct link to the desk in front of the changing rooms to request a different size or style brought to you.

The changing rooms remind me of a hotel, soft carpeting, each room with adifferent name. Boux Avenue have certainly made the lingerie buying experience a taste of luxury.

After browsing and looking at all the pretty lingerie and accessories including bath oils, notebooks and mirrors I finally got to sit down with the man himself Theo Paphitis to ask him the questions I had been wondering all the time I had been looking around the store.

"Why in this current climate would ANYONE let alone a Dragon who spends his time telling people this is not a good investment in a recession choose to open a chain of lingerie stores NOW?"

Thankfully he is a charming man who explained to me that this is the PERFECT time to do it, rents are low, in fact shopping centres are being very welcoming to companies wanting to set up shop, He also pointed out that while other shops and chains haven't been updating their look he has come in with brand new stores that look fresh, exciting and new. He doesn't expect to make money for the first couple of years out of Boux Avenue but he knows that he will make his mark and Boux Avenue will be around for a very long time indeed. His staff are as excited as he is to be starting out together and he is looking to continue opening stores and expanding.

When Theo spoke you could feel the passion he has for Boux Avenue and this isn't just something he has invested in and will be sitting on the sidelines. You can see the pride in what he has achieved and rightly so.

He has created a fantastic brand that will known for its luxury and comfort as well as its excellent pricing. As Theo pointed out. "Women shouldn't have to buy their underwear with their frozen food, it should be an experience all of it's own"

Theo I totally agree, and with Boux Avenue you have definitely created an environment to do that.

Boux Avenue, you ROCK!!!!

And for letting me have my picture taken twice because I looked "fat" in the first one, Theo you rock too.

Go check out Boux Avenue, they have stores in Glasgow, Cardiff, Lakeside, Bluewater, Trafford Centre, and Meadowhall in Sheffield. You can also shop online at http://www.bouxavenue.com/

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